Kuni Shiori and Bonus DVD Commentary [Kuni Shiori's Q&A]

[Kuni Shiori]

One of these! Thank you to everyone who shared a scene with Kuni Shiori! I wasn't very active and I do regret not contributing much to the game politically but I was thankful I was able to be able to nevertheless find a niche with the game's events.

Kuni Shiori is more or less a what you see, what you get character. I suppose there might be some finer internal details I could go into but she didn't keep those a big secret.

DVD Commentary
(Now in point form, so I keep rambling to a minimum!)

House Kuroyama
-The House was supposed to be as dubious as it seemed, considering their main purpose was the manipulation/enslaving of mujina for the purposes of mining iron.
-They are sort of modelled to be a sort of proto-dubious/nefarious scientific corporation/foundation. "Black Mountain" was just such an obvious dubious name. After writing the house, I realized there were so many similarities to the name "Black Mesa" which wasn't the intention but it kind of lines up with the spirit of the House anyway.
-They're also particularly interested in tampering with the Spiritual Realms and potentially other spirits to harness them for similar purposes.
-They're also delving into potential proto/pseudo-psyops research, much of it is in its infancy.
-Despite all of this, there is no scientific interest in the Shadowlands or Maho.
-As a custom, the House is supposed to have an interest in the art of shadow/silhouette play, whether with puppets or hands
-The members of the House are supposed to have a slight tricksy or conniving nature about them, maybe their interaction with mujina rubbing off of them.

Kuni Shiori
-This all brings me to the point of what I had Shiori on paper to start, who was supposed to largely embody much of these aspects of her House. Playing a sort of "agent" or "operative" sort of role.
-She was supposed to be sort of sly, a bit duplicitous, a bit cold, a bit oddly warm.
-Unfortunately, despite having a clear idea of my concept in mind, this plan didn't survive IC. I found that I didn't have quite the mental bandwidth to challenge myself with such an idea or the heart to be even a little bit deceitful. It was just too hard to get into that concept.
-Ultimately! Shiori played how she played in Windrise. I can't say that much of her concept was there beneath appearance or in secret.
-Well, maybe this can revisited/repackaged in the future. Either in Shiori or another character.

[Fukurokujin]

Any particular significance to the specifics of the face paint?

[Daidoji Ryu]

Just wanted to note that I had fun writing with Shiori! I think Ryu noticed her as someone who notices things. We possibly could have done more together if my activity had kept up!

[Shiba Ryusei]

Please Fill Out Form Questions Lime through Lemon, and submit them in triplicate...

1. Biggest curveball the game threw you?

2. Biggest curveball Shiori threw you?

3. PC you missed interacting with that you wish Shiori had logged some time with?

4. Favorite Shiori moment this game?

[Kuni Shiori]

Any particular significance to the specifics of the face paint?

Aha, there is, actually. I did have Shiori's avatar commissioned right around game start (in which I borrowed another one), so I admit that it is a bit different from her description. There is no great symbolism here but there is a particular difference, a sort of nod to another character (potential ancestor of?) with the encircled eye.


Kuni/Matsu Eriko from another game.

Just wanted to note that I had fun writing with Shiori! I think Ryu noticed her as someone who notices things. We possibly could have done more together if my activity had kept up!

And I had fun writing with Ryu/you (Ryou?), the chats were fun. That is one aspect of her concept that stuck around, that small need to watch and analyze people, learn from them and file things for later use in the Kuroyama info bank. She could have done a little bit of that but thank you for the street scene. Also, thank you for clueing her into the investigation. It kind of fell through but I very much appreciate the gesture.

[Doji Shinnosuke]

Ohhhhh, the connection between Shiori's total befuddlement about the whole concept of spoiled pets who don't do what you tell them and her family's shady mujina mine is only now hitting me. Derp! Assuming that was a connection, and I'm not just reading too much into it.

I suppose it's not like you can make small talk about your mujina slave camp back home, though, so when I was in Shinnosuke-mode perhaps it's not strange I didn't put that together. I enjoyed our scenes, and figuring out how Shinnosuke would chat with someone who had all the right manners, yet clearly saw the world differently in ways he often couldn't quite anticipate.

Were there other things from her background that colored her reactions to stuff in-game in ways that might not be obvious to the people around her?

Where was she on the Crab Experiences scale, where one end is "seen some shit" and the other end is "mostly courts"? She was enigmatic about it, and Shin was too polite to ask.

[Agasha Yuna]

Interesting to read what you had in mind for her.

Yuna thought she was very nice and approachable, and was super glad she looped her into the supernatural plot with Ningi.

I enjoyed interacting with Shiori. I wish I could have done even more scenes with her to get more of that deeper layer of the character that you had in mind.

[Soshi Eiji]

Director's Cut Question: Think back on the game as a whole. If you could go back, and add just one more scene with our characters in it, what would it be? What are they doing/talking about?

[Kitsu Sayomi]

Such a shame I never really crossed paths with Shiori, but that's on me this game! (not present in mind for the first half because of sickness)

Shiori seemed very interesting and friendly, and I liked reading her little scenes with Nyoko.

Do you think you'd bring Shiori back for a future game? How do you imagine married life will be like for her? How would you have changed things to fit more in style with the "operative"-idea you originally had?

[Kuni Shiori]

Please Fill Out Form Questions Lime through Lemon, and submit them in triplicate...

1. Biggest curveball the game threw you?

2. Biggest curveball Shiori threw you?

3. PC you missed interacting with that you wish Shiori had logged some time with?

4. Favorite Shiori moment this game?

1. Well, it wasn't so much a curveball but I found that I fumbled on the pitch, so to speak? Court games are a wonderful aspect of L5R that is kind of exclusive to the setting, offering the sort of activities, interaction and complications that you can't quite get from other RPGs (okay, I'm sure there are some but I'm only thinking of L5R at the moment). They do admittedly require a sort of mental bandwidth that I found myself not quite having completely. Maybe if I hopped on the pre-game train, I would have had a place to find my footing but I can't be entirely sure. I was consistently posting but not quite active, which hampered it too. TLDR: I wish I was in a headspace to contribute more.

I want to take a moment that the Crab delegation (Daichi, Masaki and Ryoichi) was absolutely superb in this game. They deserve their flowers for their work!

2. As above, there were things planned on paper but just didn't happen. Shiori wasn't supposed to be an entirely "good"-aligned Kuni (which I've played more than a few times) but I couldn't quite get myself to commit. Her edges were smoothed and I brought her up to a personality I was more comfortable playing with.

3. Quite a few but probably Hoshiko, if they had more time for non-Ningi stuff? In another reality, where they could have gotten a sort of Winter Court book club rolling? Also, with Ryu, if she could have gotten on the investigation train? I'm not so sure if she could have done much but it seemed like an interesting mystery.

4. I'd say her involvement in Shinnosuke's play was pretty neat! It was just one post but it was neat being a part of a collective effort and the posting style allowed everyone to do their "best" bits, which worked well. If there were any other plays in the future (for any L5R game), maybe this style should be considered.

Ohhhhh, the connection between Shiori's total befuddlement about the whole concept of spoiled pets who don't do what you tell them and her family's shady mujina mine is only now hitting me. Derp! Assuming that was a connection, and I'm not just reading too much into it.

I suppose it's not like you can make small talk about your mujina slave camp back home, though, so when I was in Shinnosuke-mode perhaps it's not strange I didn't put that together. I enjoyed our scenes, and figuring out how Shinnosuke would chat with someone who had all the right manners, yet clearly saw the world differently in ways he often couldn't quite anticipate.

Were there other things from her background that colored her reactions to stuff in-game in ways that might not be obvious to the people around her?

Where was she on the Crab Experiences scale, where one end is "seen some shit" and the other end is "mostly courts"? She was enigmatic about it, and Shin was too polite to ask.

It is a connection, yes! Well, it wasn't only because of the mujina but more that the House only saw a need to have "useful" pets rather than only adorable ones! I think Shoiri made mention of the guard and hunting dogs that some Kuni favoured too. So, seeing Haku without any of those features was a bit alien to her. She supposed the same went with Nyoko, too. They're just too used to the idea of having pets (and questionable slaves) who are fully compliant. I had thought of taking the advantage/disadvantage around the Control Shourido on character creation but that was too extreme even if I stuck to her concept.

There was the sort of tension when Shiori made mentions about her House's interest in the spirit realms when chatting with Hoshiko, which wasn't wholly merely just academic. Her conversation with Ryu too about reading and studying people, it was to the end of potentially using such data with aspirations to manipulate people. There were some hints dropped here and there about her House's nefarious purpose and plans but nothing she actively acted upon. Her original concept was someone who would apply such intentions rather than how she played out, someone who was merely content with just observing and only maybe logging it for use later. It would explain the "Crafty" advantage and almost random three ranks of Temptation that ultimately weren't key to the character with play.

Despite all of this dark background, I put on the House and Shiori's planned character, her spectrum is closer to 'mostly court'. I had written that the House had been moved to somewhere more protected in recent history, which made them more sheltered than most other Kuni. Her build and skills kind of reflected that, she wasn't exactly great in combat. Admittedly, I kind of fumbled on her build she wasn't quite great in court either.

[Kuni Shiori]

Interesting to read what you had in mind for her.

Yuna thought she was very nice and approachable, and was super glad she looped her into the supernatural plot with Ningi.

I enjoyed interacting with Shiori. I wish I could have done even more scenes with her to get more of that deeper layer of the character that you had in mind.

Glad you think so! I just love these little bits, even if it's mostly cutting floor material.

Yuna did ask to be kept in the loop and it seemed like everyone had parts of occurrences, it was my hope that it could potentially piece together a part of a larger story. Not so sure if it solved or redirected the prophecy, however.

Thank you and I think I managed to touch bits and parts there. That character might have be best reserved for another or maybe a future Shiori, we shall see!

Director's Cut Question: Think back on the game as a whole. If you could go back, and add just one more scene with our characters in it, what would it be? What are they doing/talking about?

Hm! I suspect it would have something to do with likely the court business, either negotiation or trade. I didn't do anything with those parts of court and it would be neat to have that sort of scene with Eiji. That might have redirected or rescene their second scene together, or not. It felt like that was sort of Eiji's element and it would have been neat to have that formal scene together when both of their meetings in court seemed to have been unscheduled around the Kyuden. That admittedly kept things casual but Shiori hadn't had many formal scenes. Likely due to my mental bandwidth than anything else.

Such a shame I never really crossed paths with Shiori, but that's on me this game! (not present in mind for the first half because of sickness)

Shiori seemed very interesting and friendly, and I liked reading her little scenes with Nyoko.

Do you think you'd bring Shiori back for a future game? How do you imagine married life will be like for her? How would you have changed things to fit more in style with the "operative"-idea you originally had?

A shame indeed! But glad that you were able to stick around to the end game. I know that it can be especially difficult when you find yourself skipping a few beats with RL.

Thank you! And also thanks to Daichi for running that bit of interaction with Nyoko too. Shiori got catlapped unexpectedly! There was the idea of Shiori spending time with her more but I didn't get around to that near the last day.

As for if Shiori will be back, I'm not too sure, to be honest! I certainly had a bit of lore thought out for House Kuroyama and it might be neat to tap into it some more when I'm feeling a bit more adventurous in doing something different. It might ultimately depend on the setting and the style of the game. As a player, I think I would do something a bit better with lower stakes and less formality involved, Shiori could come back for something like that. I suppose her original concept was supposed to be more of a closed-door intrigue type with some supernaturalness in the background.

She never expected to get married. I, the player, did throw her name into the hat but it did come as a surprise to be married first in the delegation. Shiori found herself a bit in a bind of processing that in her head and it would have likely helped if she sought to make contact with her future husband but I kind of kept that sort of business at arm's length as she focused more of what was pressing with the Ningi threat and the bad omens. I imagine her married life would likely have her more mature and focused, hopefully, more of an asset when it comes to her duties in court or anywhere else she might be needed.

Most of the concept was already there for her but I think most of the changes would have to be me as a player. It felt like a long while since I've done a PBP game, which I'm sure is true for many of us. I kind of wanted to take a risk with the character (well, albeit still on familiar ground, I know that Kuni aren't new territory for me XD) but found that I was a bit more risk-averse than I thought. It felt better to be in a comfortable mental space at the end of the day. Her character concept might have fit better as a Witch Hunter, probably, too. At least, I wouldn't have to balance her rings for spell-casting purposes! Maybe if she had a set personal 'mission'. I suppose I originally thought there was a means to improve a House's standing or resource, have her pry into the many ways to see that to fruition, which likely be more appropriate for House Kuroyama's further growth into its dubious asperations.

[Hiruma Daichi]

I got to interact with Shiori a little and it was good times. I was very happy that one of team Crab decided to play around with Nyoko on their own too. I gave that as a blanket permission as crab ooc and you were the only one i believe who took the chance at it.

[Yasuki Ryoichi]

We didn't cross paths that much, but I was glad to have Shiori on Team Crab! I enjoyed Shiori's role in the play (that post was amazing), and interacting with her over Nyoko (who I kinda want to steal now...).

[Kuni Shiori]

I got to interact with Shiori a little and it was good times. I was very happy that one of team Crab decided to play around with Nyoko on their own too. I gave that as a blanket permission as crab ooc and you were the only one i believe who took the chance at it.

I should have taken initiative sooner and make Nyoko meet Haku! Although, I'm not sure how that would have ended. I imagine that Nyoko would wielded the Hiruma Cat Technique of the 1,000 Paw Strike. That might have been a poor Haku.

We didn't cross paths that much, but I was glad to have Shiori on Team Crab! I enjoyed Shiori's role in the play (that post was amazing), and interacting with her over Nyoko (who I kinda want to steal now...).

Thank you! I had imagined in the scene at some point that Nyoko would have jumped humans. Ryoichi offered a slightly higher perch to shoulder a cat.

[Asahina Hoshiko]

Love the depth of backstory you threw together there rather quickly. And that sense of 'not really *that* kind of Kuni' was in there when Hoshiko came over seeking advice from the expert about the spirit issue.

I do wish I'd had the bandwidth to do that book club. It was fun making up books to toss back and forth.

Greatly appreciated working on the ghost/ritual investigation with you as well.

[Kuni Shiori]

Love the depth of backstory you threw together there rather quickly. And that sense of 'not really *that* kind of Kuni' was in there when Hoshiko came over seeking advice from the expert about the spirit issue.

I do wish I'd had the bandwidth to do that book club. It was fun making up books to toss back and forth.

Greatly appreciated working on the ghost/ritual investigation with you as well.

Thank you! The House Kuni, at least in recent history, are more scientist/R&D sorts and not the ones with field experience.

And making up fictional books is indeed very fun, haha. Much more fun to imagine what people would write about in Rokugan than "here's an encyclopedia of the spirit realms". Shiori will very much get her fill of non-fiction work in the library later.

Thank you for tagging me in the ghost adventure!